Monokote....Never Again
 

I used the Top Flight Monokote yesterday for the first time in many years. Ihave been either fiberglassing or using Ultracoat. I do not usually brand bash because I believe that a product might just be fine for someone other than me. So to each his own.
But the Monokote I used (new from the hobby shop) was horrible. It had no stretch to it at all. And it just doesnt shrink anywhere near as much as Ultracoat will.
Iused it to cover the fuse and tail feathers on a Stinger 60. I just cannot believe how many wrinkles there are. It looks like a total beginner job. Iam no expert at covering but jeez. I havent beenthis bad in a long time.

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Hi steve,

A friend of mine recently covered a model with "Monokote" and I have heard how the recent stuff has changed. I too tried a sample of the new stuff and it actually reminded me of the Original Monokote in that it had very limited ability to shrink. Top Flite then came out with SuperMonokote and it behaved like the good stuff we all seem to remember. I think somebody at TopFlite had a mental melt down and ordered a huge batch of the original recipe and now we are all stuck with their screw up. I believe this is why Topfright/Great Pains can legally say they haven't changed Monokote. If you look at the current ads they no longer say "SuperMonokote" , just "Monokote".

I just wish they would own up to their mistake and get "SuperMonokote" back into production.

Only time will tell.

Carlos G.

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Steve, is this the first you have heard of the mono problem?? It started about 12 or 15 years ago. The Mono Ultra debate comes up every month or two here on RCU if you just do a search you can read hundreds of pages worth of it. No reason for anyone to start it again here. You either love it or hate it, use it or don't, it is what it is and it isn't going to change. Let's just see if this thread can die peacefully here and now!:eek:

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Ah, common Gene, don't spoil the fun!

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

It was fun the first couple times around, but now after hearing the same tune played over and over it really has lost the kick it once had, and as Gene rightly put it, at this late stage nothing it going to change. Just everyone do themselves a favour and give Ultracote a try, you will never regret it.

Karol

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Here, here. what Karolh said.
Anyone fortunate enough to live in Jamaica has just gotta be right!

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Maybe someone could just put one of those "sticky" post at the beginning of this forum that says that no one should let their friends use monokote;)

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

OK, just so I'm not the party pooper I will start the bashing/debate for you. First, some people love Mono, I'm not one of them!! I used to use it then one day I ran into a batch that no mater what I did it wouldn't shrink?? I could blow burn holes in it but it wouldn't shrink. At first it was just a few colors but you never knew what one. Seems as the color was sold out and the new replacement came into the LHS it could be the new formula, just just never knew.
That was many years ago, 10 or 15 years. I was turned onto Ultra and SolarTex and I have never bought a roll of Mono again. I have had friends or customers show up with mono they wanted me to use and I did use it with mixed results. I still have a bit and like to use it for trim colors using Windex to put it on.
Some people still use it and love it, I'm just not one of those people. Why bother fighting with a product that is hit or miss when there are good products that work every time with no fuss or bother.
There you are guys, a mono bash. I just didn't over do it. I have my doubts that any of the people that have been on RCU for a while will feel like getting into the debate/bash, it's been done to death. Crap is crap but it is still a good trim product, when I score some mono I don't toss it, I just scored a few rolls in my last big deal.

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Agree with you 100% Gene, as previously I never used any other covering as 'Mono' had me completely satisfied, but when it's shrinking ability disappeared so did my love for it as a covering. I still use it for small trim pieces and it works okay.

Karol

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Trying to get TopFlight or Great Planes to admit they changed the formula has been pushed before and they just politically spin it. Iuse to love working with it and had many a good covering jobs on my airplanes. But the last attempt of using the stuff two years ago had me walking away as a long term user of thier product. Its crap and I'll never use it again. Which sucks as I really liked the transparent film to show off the wood work. Can't do that anymore. I look at it as their loss and Ultracoat's gain... With the current market and the trends of the hobby now (huge focus on cheap Chinese ARF's and RTF's) I don't see the situation changing which is sad since many of us RC old-timers got 60% of the enjoyment of building and spent the last 40% out at the field showing off something that we created and flying....

Its just sad from my perspective.... Maybe I'm getting too old.... http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/js/f...ular_smile.gif

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

I have used Monokote since it's introduction and have encountered very few problems. Occasionally a color doesn't shrink well (especially metallics) but I put it on pulled tight before shrinking. I have gone back to using a large flat iron to do the shrinking as a heat gun tends to soften the adhesive at the joints or seams causing it to pull and develop wrinkles. I believe this is what causes most problems fellows have.

When you look at the beautiful factory monokote covering jobs on Great Planes/Tower ARFs it is obvious the product is still very good. I have seen photos from some of the factories and the covering people are using large flat irons. That prompted me to go back to the large iron like we used way back when.

Ultracote is a good, easy to use film but it does not have the strength nor durability of Monokote.

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

I started buying from TH when they started, and I really do not like what they have done to anything they have touched.

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Agreed. I used to be a Tower customer, back before the interwebs... Catalog orders only, please! But they have gone super cheap and super corporate, and have turned me off entirely.

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Well this is the second of these threads in the last couple of weeks. I guess I must be lucky as I just recently purchased a roll of white  monokote from my local hobby shop and have not covered a plane in over 15 years. Worked fine for me and even smelled the same as it used to, brought back many memories.
So I don't know what is wrong with you guys. Too many Arfs?

The Pamster
AMA 202345

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RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

The white does work very good and does not stink, the blue, yellow and red colors do stink and the blue especially doesn't shrink well.  The blue does have some metallic to it, so that may be part of the reason.

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

A couple of years ago I had the misfortune of buying a new giant scale Christen Eagle ARF from Hobbico/Tower through my LHS.

The covering was terrible. I was so dejected that I sold the plane. I was not about to try to fix it. A prune looked better. When I got it originally, virtually every piece including the FG parts were damaged. This was not a scratch and dent. Took over a year to get it replaced and all the replacement parts also had serious wrinkling and a few damage problems.

Not having learned my lesson, I got one of the Giant Aeromaster ARFs when they went on sale. Same problem with the covering and a few of the pieces - smashed wing ribs. I thought, no big deal. It'll cost more to return the wings than the cost of the entire kit. Guess all that Tower crap stinks. So I tried shrinking the covering. That's when I learned what a sucker I was.

On one side of the fuselage, the MonoKote cracked and ripped as the plane was just sitting on the bench. That was prior to shrinking.

After several hours carefully shrinking, the next morning it looked as though nothing had been done. This happened two more times. On one try, I found out how easy it is to blow a hole in the stuff.

My solution was to just leave it like it was, wrinkles, poor fit and all with Ultracote patches over the holes.

The problem I now have though is that my latest project calls for a color which is available in only Monokote. So against my better judgement, I've ordered the stuff and will give it one more try. When you hear the wailing all the way to wherever you are, I'll agree when all you guys say, "I told you so!"

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Yeah this keeps coming up... it has changed. I used to use it all the time, but now the overall quality/consistancy is not good for the most part. It did motivate me to try other covering methods!

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

It seems to me the Monokote formula changed quite a while ago. Too much of a hassle to get a smooth job anymore. Now I use Ultracoat

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Come on guys, is it time for a new bashing thread on monokote already? By my calculations, I thought we had at least 4 and a half more days until the next one should have started up. I tell you what they ought to do. Find one of the best threads about this subject and just make it a sticky at the top of every page. Then people wouldnt have to worry about searching for it and starting a new one [8D].

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

I just used Maroon, White and Black and did not have any trouble at all.

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Idk... Does it look like crap?

Could it be better? Yup. I'm happy. Do what makes you happy. :)

Brian

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

I just finished a CG cub that I got some 20 years ago, and I had only bought 1 roll of cub yellow monokote for it back then. I just ordered a new roll from the LHS and covered it all at once. I could not tell the difference between them! I have been using monokotesince the 80's and yet to get some bad covering. I have8 airplanes hanging from the ceiling right now, with 13 different colors of monokote on them, and none arewrinkled.

It's hard for me to agree that it is bad stuff. I will keep using it till I get more then one roll of bad. If and when I ever do!

Pat

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

I see it as just being the end user.....MK works great for me but i cant cover with ultracote to save my hide. It's covering techniques and habits that make one seem better than the other to the person covering. The are both good products. They just apply differently.

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

Don't take it outside on a warm, sunny day! :D[&o]

RE: Monokote....Never Again
 

I don't understand the point of these threads. Is it to warn us about how bad it is and drive Monokote out of business so those of us who like it won't be able to get it anymore? http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/js/f...n/confused.gif

Or is it to get us to switch to Ultracote? Maybe these posters have some affiliation with Ultracote, I don't know.

Find what you like to use and use it. If you're starting out, then just pick one or the other and learn how it needs to be applied. Both will work.

I like Monokote and see no reason to switch.

Mark